Rich Robinson

By 1989, the band had become The Black Crowes and had gained momentum in their native Georgia. Producer George Drakoulias discovered the band during a New York City show the band gave that year, and had them signed to Rick Rubin's then newly formed Def American label. Recording sessions began almost immediately and the band's debut, $hake Your Money Maker, was released in 1990 to a wide charting success and good critical reception. Much of the album showcased the skills of then-21 years old Rich, from the opening riff of "Twice As Hard" to the melody of Mainstream Rock chart-topping hit "She Talks to Angels". The band quickly hit the road in support of the album, first with Aerosmith (1990), then with ZZ Top (1991). Having been fired from the latter for behavior issues, the band started its own tour in 1991.

The $hake Your Money Maker Tour was followed by the 1992 release of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Departing from the more traditional rock & roll approach of their first album, the album featured more syncopated rhythms and generally longer songs (with three songs exceeding 6 minutes). The single Remedy reached #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in May 1992. Extensive touring, including headlining shows and festivals in Europe and Japan followed the release of the album, with the band appearing at the 1993 Pinkpop Festival.

Amorica (1994) and Three Snakes and One Charm saw the band delving further into jam rock, before By Your Side returned to a more straightforward sound, more relating to Shake Your Money Maker while retaining musical elements developed since Amorica. After releasing Lions in 2001 and touring to support it, the Black Crowes took an indefinite hiatus.

After completing the demo sessions, Hookah Brown began touring clubs and other small venues throughout the United States. The gigs were well received and it appeared that the band was on the cusp of success, both commercially and critically. In April 2003, however, it was announced that Hookah Brown would be going their separate ways and that Robinson would be continuing as a solo act. The guitarist later revealed that the expense of operating a full band on tour, without the backing of a record label proved too much and forced the disbanding of Hookah Brown. Prior to this, John Hogg abruptly left Hookah Brown, followed by Fionn O Lochlainn and Bill Dobrow after a contract was presented to them by Robinson's New York lawyer.

In January 2005, Chris and Rich Robinson played an acoustic show together in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the first time since the Black Crowes went on hiatus in 2002 that the two brothers had played together on the same stage. This and the reactivation of the band's website fueled rumors that the Black Crowes were re-uniting.

In March 2005, the Black Crowes officially went back on tour in Pittson, Pennsylvania. The tour included seven nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and when the band came for a four night run at the Tabernacle in their home town of Atlanta, Georgia, the band's original drummer, Steve Gorman, returned to the band. The tour continued with many dates in the US and a couple in Canada.

In addition, Robinson contributed to singer/songwriter Patti Smith's release Twelve, which was released in April 2007. He played dulcimer on "The Boy In the Bubble" and guitar on "Midnight Rider."

Chris and Rich spent the month of April doing 13 acoustic shows. The tour was titled Brothers of a Feather and a CD and DVD from one of their three nights at the Roxy in Los Angeles during this tour was released in 2007. The Brothers played new material during their tour for the first time since the Black Crowes had reunited as well as playing each other's solo material together for the first time.

In 2009, Robinson performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.

In late July 2011, three new tracks began streaming on Robinson's official Facebook page to coincide with the announcement of the release of his second solo record, Through a Crooked Sun, on October 11, 2011. Tour dates were announced via the same method in mid-August.

In late November, 2013, Robinson announced via his Facebook page that he had signed with independent record label The End Records, which would be releasing his third solo album, The Ceaseless Sight. In January, 2014, The End Records released a free sampler via Amazon MP3 that featured an alternate version of "One Road Hill," a track included on the forthcoming The Ceaseless Sight.

On January 15, 2015, Rich Robinson announced the final breakup of the band due to a disagreement with his brother Chris Robinson over an alleged proposal regarding ownership of the band. In an interview, drummer Steve Gorman indicated that prior to the breakup, the Black Crowes had been discussing a tour.

In 2016 Robinson joined Bad Company as a temporary, live substitute for guitarist Mick Ralphs on their 2016 US tour co-headlining with Joe Walsh.

In October 2016, Rich Robinson formed The Magpie Salute with other former Black Crowes members Marc Ford, Sven Pipien and Eddie Harsch. Their debut studio album, High Water I, was released on August 10, 2018.